Ling Yun returned to the classroom during the final ten minutes before the bell rang.
At the podium, homeroom teacher Liu Shiguo was enthusiastically explaining a physics problem, making all the students below who hadn't grasped the basics bow their heads and pray for divine assistance.
"Report!"
Ling Yun's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone tossed into a still lake, instantly drawing the attention of the entire class.
Even the students who had been desperately praying for divine assistance suddenly perked up.
"Come in."
Liu Shiguo looked up and saw that it was Ling Yun. A rare hint of a smile appeared on his stern face.
"Zhou Da just asked for leave on your behalf, saying you went to the Boxing Club to participate in the city's youth Free Combat qualification trials?"
He set down the chalk, braced both hands on the podium, and asked with great interest.
He paused, then spoke with obvious uncertainty. "That kid... wasn't pulling my leg, was he?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Teacher! Heaven and earth know I'm innocent! Am I really that kind of person?!"
Zhou Da, who was sitting in the front row, immediately shot to his feet. His round face flushed bright red, as if he had suffered an enormous injustice.
Liu Shiguo looked him up and down, pushed up his glasses, and spoke bluntly. "Sorry, Zhou Da. I was being overly suspicious. Mainly because... with that round shape, your honest-looking face, and that hint of cleverness in your expression, you look like the kind of person who's got... well... quite a few tricks up his sleeve."
His words were so direct that the whole class burst into laughter.
"Teacher! That explanation was worse than saying nothing! That really hit me where it hurt!"
Zhou Da clutched his chest and let out an exaggerated "wail," as if he had been struck by an invisible arrow. This only made everyone laugh even harder.
"Teacher," Ling Yun said, holding back his laughter until the noise had died down a little, "Zhou Da wasn't lying. I really did go to the Boxing Club's trials."
Before Liu Shiguo could respond, the classroom erupted into a clamor.
In fact, ever since the bell rang, some people had noticed that Ling Yun's seat was empty. The reason was simple.
One word: handsome!
Ling Yun's presence was simply too strong.
The girls in the class could always find all kinds of angles and excuses to admire him, whether openly or on the sly.
So the moment he was absent, everyone noticed.
By comparison, if it had been Little Transparent, perhaps no one would have noticed even if she disappeared for an entire day.
"How did it go?"
Liu Shiguo's smile faded, and he scanned Ling Yun with concern. "You're not hurt, are you?" As the homeroom teacher, his students' safety would always come first.
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher." Feeling the sincerity in that worry, Ling Yun's heart warmed slightly. "I'm not hurt, and... I got the only spot for the school's men's division."
"Oh!" Liu Shiguo's eyes lit up. His worry instantly turned into delight, and he couldn't help slapping the podium. "Good kid! You've really brought honor to our class! Impressive!" He gave Ling Yun an unreserved thumbs-up.
"Wow!"
"For real?!"
"The Class Monitor went to compete in Free Combat? And he even got the spot?!"
"He's strong, but Free Combat isn't just about strength, right? Technique is important too!"
The class's exclamations and discussions instantly rose several decibels. The students looked at Ling Yun with shock and disbelief.
Only Zhou Da grinned from ear to ear, wearing a calm expression that said, "I knew it all along," as if everything had been under his control.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
Zhou Da cleared his throat, stood up, planted his hands on his hips, and imitated the bearing of a novel's protagonist. In a booming voice, he declared, "What's there to be surprised about? Who is my Brother Yun? In this modern society of reinforced concrete, he's the only man I know who radiates the aura of a protagonist from head to toe! Do you even understand what it means to be chosen by fate?"
His display of swagger flowed as smoothly as water, as if he had been the one slaughtering his way through the Boxing Club and crushing all his opponents.
"Zhou Da, do you realize we're in class?"
Seeing Zhou Da like this, Liu Shiguo couldn't help feeling speechless.
"Hehe, Teacher, I forgot. I'm really sorry."
Only then did Zhou Da remember that it was still class time, and he hurriedly begged for mercy.
However, Liu Shiguo was an open-minded teacher to begin with, so he didn't punish him.
In this relaxed, cheerful, and slightly heated atmosphere, the bell rang right on cue.
"Class dismissed!" Liu Shiguo was extremely decisive. To him, the bell was an order. He picked up his lesson plans and textbook and strode out of the classroom without hesitation, heading straight for the smoking area at the end of the hallway.
The moment Liu Shiguo left, Zhou Da smacked Ling Yun on the back with a "bear paw."
"Brother Yun! Brother Yun!"
Zhou Da's eyes shone brightly. He had already prepared paper and pen and leaned over with an utterly reverent expression.
"Quick! Tell me everything in detail! How did you slaughter your way through the Boxing Club, crush all the competition, and ultimately claim the championship? Don't leave out a single detail! This is going to be a golden treasure trove of material for the novel I write in the future!"
Looking at Zhou Da's eager, gossip-hungry expression, Ling Yun didn't know whether to laugh or get angry.
Still, having such an enthusiastic audience made showing off a little feel pretty good, didn't it?
So he briefly recounted what had happened at the Boxing Club, including meeting Teacher Zhao Ruixue, Zheng Chenyang's provocation, and that clean, decisive knockout punch.
"Holy crap?! Wait!!"
After hearing him out, Zhou Da opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg inside. His eyes bulged, and he froze in place like he had been struck by lightning.
"Qinghe's coach... is our Physical Education Teacher, Zhao Ruixue?! And... and she's going to teach our Physical Education class later?!"
"Da Zi? Da Zi? Wake up! What's wrong with you?"
Ling Yun waved a hand in front of his eyes, then patted his chubby cheek, confirming that he was merely "shocked" and not "dead from a sudden cardiac arrest."
"Brother Yun! I understand now! I seriously suspect that our world... is actually one enormous virtual reality game! The fate of every one of us, including that ridiculously coincidental chain of events just now, is a program script written in advance by some dog of a higher-dimensional game designer! Otherwise, how could everything line up so perfectly? If this plot appeared in a novel, readers would curse the author for being lazy and forcing a coincidence!"
Zhou Da suddenly came to his senses and grabbed Ling Yun's arm. His expression was more serious than ever, even carrying a philosopher's profound solemnity.
"..."
Ling Yun stared speechlessly at Zhou Da, who was immersed in his own "enlightenment." He pulled his arm free and stood up.
"Fine, fine, Da Zi. Keep contemplating your cosmic truths. I have to go organize the lines on the field. Don't be late for Physical Education later."
With that, he stopped paying attention to Zhou Da, who was still engaged in his "philosophical speculation," turned around, and walked out.
"Hey?! Brother Yun! Wait for me! It's not like I said I wasn't going to help organize!"
The moment Zhou Da saw Ling Yun actually leave, he instantly transformed from a "philosopher" back into a "lackey." He tossed the virtual world and cosmic truths out of his mind, grabbed the notebook from his desk, and charged after him with a howl.
"Brother Yun! Wait for me! I'll help you keep order!"
Before you continue